Adriana Lima is open about her self-perception. In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, the 42-year-old supermodel discussed the criticism she faced for her appearance at the Los Angeles premiere of The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes.
“It did not bother me at all,” Lima told the newspaper. “I’m very strong in that way, and to be honest, I was feeling great before I stepped out. I was with my kids, and they looked at me and said, ‘Mom! You look stunning!'”
She wore a black minidress with red embellishments and pointy-toe heels to the event, attended with her boyfriend, Andre Lemmers, and daughters Sienna, 11, and Valentina, 14, from her ex-husband Marko Jari. Lemmers’ two children, Miah and Lupo, also attended the ceremony.
Her look sparked considerable criticism online, with some speculating that she had recently undergone cosmetic surgery. While the comments did not bother her, she revealed to Harper’s Bazaar Arabia that seeing images of herself on the red carpet “shocked” her.
“I was like, ‘That’s not me,'” said the model. “Everything seemed strange because I don’t see myself in that light. I still don’t view myself that way… You can perceive yourself differently.”
“I didn’t get offended or anything, though – I was laughing,” she said. “The point is, I’m not sixteen. I started modeling when I was 16, but I’ll never be 16 again. I’m 42 years old and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been; happiest with myself. I am proud of my age and will not alter for anyone.”
She expressed similar thoughts on social media last month, responding to critics with a makeup-free image on her Instagram Story. “The tired face of a tired mom of one teenage girl, two preteens, a 1-year-old learning to walk, and three dogs,” she commented over the photo, adding, “Thanks for your concern.”
Lima also stated in her interview that she feels women “are being celebrated in every stage of our life.”
“I’m happy to see that change because one of my daughters wants to be a model,” she said of Valentina to Harper’s Bazaar Arabia. “And I was saddened that she, as a model, would be celebrated for only a portion of her life.” “I believe that every stage is a beautiful time, and I love that fashion is finally recognizing that.”
Lima, on the other hand, feels that the sector is still evolving slowly. “I don’t think we’re [totally] moving away from ‘thin, young and beautiful’; I think that the world is creating space for everyone – and everyone with their uniqueness is being celebrated,” she told the magazine. She went on to say that “there is beauty in every stage of a woman and man’s life and it’s wonderful to see that there can be space for everybody.”
Lima, a Victoria’s Secret angel from 1999 to 2018, resurfaced in September as the face of the brand’s new Heavenly Eau de Parfum. She told PEOPLE that it was “uplifting” to be recognized by the brand at that point in her career.
“I feel that as a woman, and still being in fashion — I’m 42 years old and a mom with five kids, so I feel that I’m still being celebrated in this stage of my life,” she remarked at a Victoria’s Secret The Tour event in September.
“It’s great to see that no matter what stage you are [in life], for my kids and the new models coming up, it’s uplifting.”